Drive-in Sci-Fi: The Tingler (1958)

We open with a scene from supposedly director of the film telling people to scream when they feel tingling in theater while watching the movie. it may save your life. the reason behind this is simple. There was a gimmick where William Castle attached electrical "buzzers" to the underside of several seats in movie theaters where The Tingler was scheduled to be screened. The buzzers were small surplus vibrators left over from World War II. The cost of this equipment added $250,000 to the film's budget. It was predominantly used in the larger theaters. During the climax of the film, The Tingler was depicted escaping into a generic movie theater. On screen the projected film appeared to break as the silhouette of the tingler moved across the projection beam. The film went black, all lights in the auditorium (except fire exit signs) were turned off, and Vincent Price's voice warned the audience "The Tingler is loose in THIS theater! Scream! Scream for your lives!" This cued the theatre projectionist to activate the buzzers and give several audience members an unexpected jolt. An alternate warning was recorded for Drive-in Theatres, this warning advised the audience the tingler was loose in the drive-in. To enhance the climax even more William Castle stationed fake "nurses" in the foyer, an ambulance outside of the theatre and fake "screamers and fainters" planted in the audience. The "fainters" would be carried out of the auditorium on a gurney and whisked away in the ambulance only to return for the next showing.
Then the movie starts with 3 flying heads screamining. i may nto scream, but i may go deaf before i scream to that. then we go straight to the scene of a guy being put into the electric chair. afterwards autopsy is being made and pathologist finds out that the guys spine has split in two otu of fear before he died from electricity. Relative comes and after a short chat he asks to get a lift from a doc. they go to his house and actual silent film theater. they discuss about that old black and white movies are almost as good as the modern ones. that is ironic, since the movie itself is in black and white except for one scene. his wife is a dealf-mute that is scared by blood. once the doc gets cut she faints because she gets scared. so shes narcoleptic (strong emotions makes you fall asleep in order to preserver brain from "overheating" because it cant handl the stress. its a handicap of sorts) too. the doctor however decides that she goes into neurotic blackout (which isnt far from what really happens) because she cant scream being a mute. now screaminig really has nothing to do with it, but thats the theory of the movie.
Doctor comes home, has a chat with his wives sister and asistant who are in love with it. apperently his wife doesnt want them to marry, but thats jut a sideplot that doesnt get used much. he then goes to scare his wife with a gun, luckily, filled with blanks. Xray taken at the moment provdes him info that fear feeeds some sort of parazite in oru spine that unless we scream kills us by splitting spinal cord. appernetly screaming is what saves us. they also name it "tingler" becuase it supposedly "tingles" while in motion. thats pretty nice assumption. going on with the experiment doctor wants to feel it first-hand and takes drug-acid (lsd?) for halucinations. he feels it and it almost kills him but he goes on screaming. So they figure a way to test their theory - scare the deaf-mute again.
He goes there and tells here she needs sleeping pills. instead he gives her the drugs. she starts halucinating and gets scared by some stalker with an axe. And eventually the sink and bath would fill with blood. the only scene in the film where something was in color - blood. she then eventually dies from fright. During that her husband is drinking beer in bar. Thats nice of him. He brings her to a doctor. he fills the death certificate then they see her sit up and then lie down again. they quickly decide to do an autopsy on her, the husband to find out, the doctor to find "the tingler!". we dont see the actual sutff being done, ir rather plays with camera angles and not shows ups. we see him take out the tingler out of her spine however. It is however alive and manadges to brake loose and bites the doctor. however scream stopped him and they trap him in a metal cage.
wife seduces him, lets the tingler loose on him but is once again saved by the scream. it runs away and goes back to the theatre where he makes all kind of wierd stuff. we also get a warning that we are being attacked by a tingler. guess this is where the cue for seats were. they however catch him, carry it out and put it back into the dead body. how is that smart? she becomes a zombie now and frights het husband to death. and thats about it?

Story: 4/10. weak in many points.
Acting: 5/10. nominal.
Sound: 2/10. the usual.
Sci factor: 8/10. they had done pretty good there if not for the whole tingler cause thing and arcolepsy, but i guess back then they didnt knew.
Lasting Appeal: 8/10. this i wont forget so easy, certianly not a trditional sci-fi of the 60s
Overall rating: 6/10.